Haraguroi Yuugi: The Malicious Play
by Azurite
Summary: Her grades are falling. Her life is a mess. But she can go back and undo everything she did. The question is, will she? (CH2!)
1. The Endless Universe

**Haraguroi Yuugi: The Malicious Play  
A _Fushigi Yuugi_ Fanfiction  
By:** Azurite  
azurite_moon@yahoo.com  
**AIM:** Meriellen5  


**OVERHAUL COMPLETE:** 5/12/03  
**REFORMAT COMPLETE:** 10/03/03  
**Version 2.1 - 10/03/03:** Finally corrected version is on Mediaminer.org! 

**Notes: **  
Spoilers to episode -52  
FY doesn't belong to me. ;_; If it did, Tamahome would be MINE!  
I accept any and all commentary, even pithy flames. So bring it on. :)

I use Japanese names (Sou Kishuku, Saihitei, etc.) for people and places. Hopefully you know them all, because providing a glossary in every fic is a bit tedious. 

**KEY:  
****----  
**conscience - that little annoying voice in your head, muse, whatever.  
"spoken word" - yo! are you listening to me?  
'thinking' oh no, *now* what will i do?  
*emphasis* - What're you reading *THIS* for ya fluffball?!  
~~~~~~~~~ - time change

**==========================================================================**

**Part 1: The Endless Universe**

**==========================================================================**

Yuuki Keisuke fidgeted in the seat for what had to be the twelfth time in the past five minutes; it was obvious by now to any passerby of the small school office that the rough fabric covering the chairs wasn't designed for comfort.

Considering most only spent a few minutes in the dean's waiting room, this extended wait was almost unbearable for the handsome college student. But he was there for a reason. 

Miaka's grades were falling. Again. 

If it had been in the past, or maybe far in the future, Keisuke could have understood, but it had only been three months since break ended. The young man shook his head despairingly.

How was *he* to understand? He hadn't been through half of what his little sister or Yui had. 

She'd seen death. 

No one could expect Miaka to simply be back the way she was-- before her encounter with "The Universe of the Four Gods," the forbidden, mystical book that transported her and Yui hundreds of years back into a magical Ancient China. After all she'd been through, and all she'd lost, she'd never be the same perky, happy-go-lucky, food-aholic she'd been in junior high. 

True, it was no surprise that she didn't make it into Jonan, but then again, neither did Yui, who had been at the top of the class when she and Miaka had applied for high school. So Miaka and Yui attended Yotsubadai High School, a decent institution in its own right, and with a fair number of intelligent students. 

Yet in all the time that had passed since emerging from the book -a retired Miko- Miaka still wore the same solemn expression on her face. Whatever drive she'd had to study for her high school exams left her, and she couldn't even bring herself to study for simple vocabulary quizes.

Keisuke was there because this time, Miaka was being threatened with expulsion. She wasn't a bad girl at all -certainly not at heart- but she no longer had the motivation to do her work. She'd made a

slight effort at the beginning of the school year in April, but as time wore on, she slipped, and no one -not even Tetsuya with his joking attitude, or Yui in her infinite intelligence- could convince her otherwise.

Her heart had been broken into a million pieces, and the damage done was far greater than any of them could imagine. On more than one occasion, Miaka's seemingly-infinite depression irritated the small group consisting of Yui, Keisuke, and Tetsuya. They were the only three people alive besides Miaka who had *experienced* the book for what it truly was-- and still remembered the pain everyone went through. 

Miaka's last wish as Suzaku no Miko had restored her world to normal, thus erasing the memories of anyone who had seen or been injured by the Animal Gods Seiryuu and Suzaku. But her wish brought about an end to her adventures-- her seishi were dead, and so much time had gone by that, if by some miracle, she was still allowed entrance into the book, everything would be different. 

"Yuuki-san?" The secretary looked up at the man, who seemed to be deep in thought. He blinked and stood up, flashing a grateful smile at the older woman, who gestured to the dean's office. 

The man sitting behind the cherry wood desk was of stocky build, but with a fair mess of hair on his crown. Keisuke wasn't sure whether or not it was a toupee, and so instead of looking at the nest of hair, he looked at the articles decorating the desk.

He'd closed the door behind him, and an uncomfortable silence began to permeate the air as soon as he sat down on the stiff wooden chair. 

"Yuuki-san," The dean began, shuffling some papers, "I take it you've been aware of some time the nature of your sister's problem."

Keisuke nodded solemnly. The only reason why he was here was because if their mother knew, Miaka was likely to have another reason to become even more depressed. The one time when Miaka had smiled since the incident in the book was when her mother had told her how *proud* she was of Miaka-- even if she wasn't going to Jonan, she was proud.

Miaka had smiled so brightly, Keisuke almost thought that his chipper younger sister had returned. But the moment their mother found out about a single failed test, Miaka plunged into loneliness once more, constantly locking herself in her room, and never going out with Yui anymore. The two were growing apart, much to the blonde's chagrin. 

"We have yet to see *any* sort of improvement on Miaka-san's record. This is the third time, Yuuki-san, and I'm afraid that if Miaka-san doesn't make an earnest effort on her next set of exams, we will have to expel her."

"You don't have to do that!" Keisuke nearly exclaimed, his words rushed. He knew full well of the threat of Miaka's expulsion, but it was hard to explain to a complete stranger just what the sixteen year old had been through. 

"Miaka... she doesn't purposely try to fail like this," Keisuke began, shaking his head slightly at the dean's raised eyebrows. He obviously seemed surprised by this statement, no doubt already having made his assumptions about Miaka's character.

"Not long ago, her... her fiancee died in an accident." Keisuke finished lamely. He hoped the dean swallowed that-- it was the closest thing to the truth that Keisuke could thing of on the spur of the moment.

"Fiancee?" The dean asked, almost incredulously. "She's only sixteen." He was already wary of the fact that Miaka's older brother was coming to all the teacher conferences regarding Miaka's failure to perform in class. There was a new excuse regarding their mother's absence each time, and every time the school called, hoping to reach Ms. Yuuki instead, Keisuke always answered. It was obvious that the boy cared deeply for his younger sister, but it didn't change the fact that Miaka's *mother* needed to be aware of the situation as well.

"It..." Keisuke paused, wondering how to describe Tamahome and Miaka's relationship, "...was an arranged marriage." The surprised expression on the dean's face lessened somewhat; lately, there'd been a trend of sorts going around various parts of Tokyo, where young women found themselves in engaged marriages. Unlike teenage "rebels" of the era, many of these children found themselves in quite happy relationships, usually married by the age of nineteen. 

The dean sighed, "As much as I would have liked to know about this in advance, it really doesn't change the situation at hand. For her emotional state, the school could recommend a counselor, but she needs to get tutored -by a professional-" The dean added sharply at Keisuke's shift, "Or she will fail and be removed from this school."

Silence fell once more, but this time the dean looked intensely at a series of papers. 

"The odd thing, however," the dean mentioned, handing a paper to Keisuke, "Is that of the academic courses that Miaka-san chose for herself, such as Ancient History, she seems to be excelling in them. She is also performing exceptionally in her off-campus gym requirement, basic styleless martial arts." Keisuke blinked a moment, looking over Miaka's percentages-- she was under 30% in most courses; a near 50% in English, but 87% in Ancient History, 90% in gym, and 80% in Chinese language.

No wonder why Miaka always seemed depressed then-- she kept reminding herself of her time spent in the book-- and though it was good that she was peforming well, it was debilitating to her other classes that weren't linked to her past with the Universe as her other courses were. 

Keisuke looked uncomfortable-- he was obviously at a loss of what to say or do. He couldn't make excuses for his sister, not anymore. 

"I offer my condolences to Miaka-san over her loss, but I'm afraid that if she doesn't at least make the attempt to pass her academic courses-- Japanese literature, Mathematics, Biology, and Home Economics, then we will have to remove her from the martial arts roster, and then from the school entirely." 

Keisuke knew for a fact that Miaka enjoyed the class across town in Nerima; if she was given this ultimatum, she was sure to improve... right?

A few minutes later, the dean had assembled a set of pamphlets and records for Keisuke to take home. The college student carefully sealed them in the manila envelope provided by the older man, hoping that his mother wouldn't be too suspicious and dare to inspect their contents. It was bad enough Miaka was emotionally unstable and failing in most of her academic classes-- she didn't need more pressure coming from her mother. 

"How'd it go?" Tetsuya asked, his sunglasses sliding off the bridge of his nose as he looked at Keisuke, entering the car. Keisuke sighed loudly. "I remember vividly why I *hated* high school." Tetsuya chuckled, starting up the car as Keisuke buckled himself in and dropped the envelope at his feet. 

"Man, I could really go for a beer." Keisuke moaned, leaning back into his seat. Tetsuya smiled and nodded, pulling the car out into the mainstream traffic, "A brand new case of Asahi with our name on it is waiting for us in the club lounge." 

Keisuke grinned, eager to forget that he'd ever *been* at Yotsubadai, talking to Miaka's dean. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

# Yuuki-san, this is the dean of Yotsubadai High School. I apologize, but at our conference today, I neglected to tell you about your sister's final exam percentage-- currently, it is at 27%, and she must attain at least an 85% on her next three exams in her academic courses to pass this year. Anything lower will cause her to repeat her classes once again, and if she receives a score lower than 50% average, she will be dropped from school. Please give Miaka my sincere apologies, and I hope to see improvement soon, as she is a very bright student. Good day. #

There was an audible click as the answering machine recorded the message, and a slender finger reached down and pressed REW, the tape reeling backwards as the dean's deep voice became high-pitched, much like a chipmunk. 

The message played again, Ms. Yuuki's face contorting as she heard the dean's words repeat. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

That night, when Keisuke entered the Yuuki apartment in the Kashiwa Famille complex, he was as warm as toast, despite the freezing weather outside. It had rained a good deal the past several days, but tonight, it was merely a freezing cold. Despite it being late April, when breezes were light, many weathermen suspected a snowstorm on the way. 

Of course, with all the beer Keisuke had drunk, he wouldn't have felt an icicle if it had been growing on his nose... Said icicle would have snapped off, had the power of sound been any greater in the family apartment. At the moment, the cold, white walls of the apartment couldn't have seemed any less welcoming, and the place seemed less and less like a family home than a prison. Resounding off the narrow walls and sharp corners was the loud and distinct yelling of Ms. Yuuki -Miaka and Keisuke's mother- as she shouted, seemingly without end, at her stoic-faced daughter. 

Keisuke neared the living room where the two stood just as his mother's shouting reached its climax: 

"A 27%! I should have KNOWN that you couldn't handle a school like Yotsubadai, let alone some place like Jonan! Out of your reach, I knew, but I wanted you to do your best! I strived to motivate you, get you to be the best, but all you did was play! You didn't take competition seriously, and now, when things are important, you slack off! What have you been doing these past three months, hanging out with that... that YUI girl again!?" 

Miaka's eyes rose, her expression hard and stiff as her gleaming hazel eyes met her mothers. She pursed her lips, as if about to make a response, but Ms. Yuuki cut her off before she had the chance. 

"I bet that's exactly what it was! All you two ever do is play around, pretending you're studying! But I bet she at least gets her work done! She's not failing 6 out of 8 classes, or getting calls from the dean..."

Keisuke pressed his back up against the wall, shaking his head.

'Oh damn! That stupid old man *called*?!' The college student mulled over what he could say to help Miaka's defense, but nothing was coming to mind. His mind was foggy, his thoughts in a haze, and for once in his life since turning 21, he regretted drinking a six-pack of beer. 

He was about to at least *step* into the living room, make his presence known, when he heard a sharp slapping noise, then total silence. 

He winced-- Miaka never wore bruises that well, and he thought that, despite Miaka's grades, she didn't deserve to be hit. No one did. 

But when he peered into the living room, it wasn't Miaka standing there with a turned cheek, tears forming on her lashline, and blood rushing to the surface of her skin. 

It was her mother. 

"How DARE you--" Ms. Yuuki began, indignant, her hand still gracing her quickly reddening skin. This time, Miaka was the one to cut her off. 

"How dare *YOU*! You have NO idea what I have been through these past few months! You say you tried to motivate me, but all you did was work me into the ground! When I needed your support, your care, your-- your LOVE-- all you did was call me weak, and ignore me! If you knew HALF of what has happened to me, maybe THEN you'd be worthy of the title MOTHER-- but you don't! Ask me again why my grades are slipping-- when you GIVE a damn!" 

Miaka was downright infuriated, Keisuke could tell, and he was about to say something -or at least applaud Miaka- when he tripped over the trash can and into the couch. Miaka and Ms. Yuuki both turned and looked at him in surprise, as Miaka strode over to him and helped him up. 

"You alright?" She whispered under her breath, then cringed.  
"You're drunk as a dog," Miaka hissed, waving a hand in front of her face. "Get some sleep." And without another word to either her brother or her astonished mother, Miaka went into her bedroom-- and for good measure, slammed the door. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

END OF PART 1

-.-; Yeah, I know this isn't anything like the first episode, but cut me some slack, this story has undergone TONS of revisions, and I would like to get this MUCH better version up before I write much more. 

Expect total overhauls on Episodes 2 and 3 soon (*cough cough*) and eventually, the rest of

HARAGUROI YUUGI: THE MALICIOUS PLAY 


	2. The Endless Universe, Ad Infinitum

**Haraguroi Yuugi: The Malicious Play  
A _Fushigi Yuugi_ Fanfiction  
By:** Azurite  
azurite_moon@yahoo.com  
**AIM:** Meriellen5  


**OVERHAUL COMPLETE:** 5/12/03  
**REFORMAT COMPLETE:** 10/03/03  
**Version 2.1 - 10/03/03:** Finally corrected version is on Mediaminer.org! 

**Notes: **  
Spoilers to episode -52  
FY doesn't belong to me. ;_; If it did, Tamahome would be MINE!  
I accept any and all commentary, even pithy flames. So bring it on. :)

I use Japanese names (Sou Kishuku, Saihitei, etc.) for people and places. Hopefully you know them all, because providing a glossary in every fic is a bit tedious. 

**KEY:  
----  
**conscience - that little annoying voice in your head, muse, whatever.  
"spoken word" - yo! are you listening to me?  
'thinking' oh no, *now* what will i do?  
*emphasis* - What're you reading *THIS* for ya fluffball?!  
~~~~~~~~~ - time change

**RECAP:  
**-----

Miaka's grades are falling in almost all of her academic classes, and in a desperate attempt to keep what little spirits she has after the summoning of Suzaku and the death of those she loved so dearly, Yuuki Keisuke hides Miaka's failing grades from her mother. One day, Ms. Yuuki discovers their secret, and confronts her daughter... but the girl she once knew is not there anymore. In her place is a sad, lonely, but headstrong girl... who will do anything for a chance to do it all over again...

**============================================================================**

**Part 2: The Endless Universe, Ad Infinitum**

**============================================================================**

It had been nearly three days.

Three days since Miaka had so forcefully made her point, and slapped her own mother.

Three days since Yuuki Keisuke came home drunk, and, having witnessed the whole thing, not only stopped drinking, but began rethinking his methods of getting his little sister to shape up.

There were none. No ways. Miaka had to do this on her own.

She was forcing memories of her past on herself, what with the way most of her academic classes unrelated to her time in the Book served only as a distraction, a bore, an excuse to bide her time. 

Had Miaka the choice, Keisuke now realized, she would have gladly died beside her Seishi, if it meant she could have been with them. At least, that's how her attitude now seemed to be.

She was so listless in almost all she did, except for those few classes she seemed to excel in and enjoy-- Ancient History, Chinese Language, and Martial Arts.

Regardless though, they weren't helping her. Within three months time, she had to improve her grades by a drastic 60% average, or be kicked out of Yotsubadai.

But what to do? Their mother clearly didn't approve of Yui's tutoring, let alone his. Even if they did it off-campus, there was really no way to guarantee that it would all sink into Miaka and she'd actually start DOING well in class. What she needed now was motivation. 

It occurred to Keisuke that, in the few days he'd known Tamahome, he'd seen the boy have an incredible power over Miaka. Over her very spirit. He meant everything to her, and he was Miaka's first love. In a way, her only -her last- love. A sad thought, truly.

Too bad the boy didn't really exist, because he would have been-- 

'Doesn't... exist...' 

Keisuke mulled over that thought a moment. 

But he HAD to exist. Even in a "fictional" world, Tamahome did indeed exist. Anyone that ever touched anyone's heart or mind, anyone that ever impacted anyone, in any way... they "existed," at least in the simplest definition of the word. Right? 

And one thing was for sure-- the book still existed. It was back in the room at the National Library, untouched, until... 

Miaka had restored "the worlds" to normal once more. They never DID find out what that really meant.

Three days, and here he was, just sitting in the club room at school! 

What was he doing?!

Without a second thought, Keisuke grabbed his bookbag and rushed out to head to the National Library.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Miaka was one of the few girls in her off-campus physical education class, Martial Arts, hosted at a small dojo in Nerima.

It was a pain commuting there everyday afterschool, but she loved it all the same, and took pride whenever she beat the heavier-set boys, the stereotypical ones that thought her weak and fragile. Some teased her, others tried to flirt... and in the end, Miaka just blocked them from her mind.

Instead, all she saw was THEM.

Bandits. Traffickers. Enemies. 

Seiryuu Seishi.

Whenever she was in a match, she completely blanked out, letting her body take over. Her moves flowed effortlessly, one to the other, and those that knew her outside school would find it hard to believe that this was the selfsame girl that once, not all that long ago, used to fall asleep in class, trip over her own two feet, and bash her teachers on the head with her desk. 

She always possessed a strength she never recognized.

"An innate power," Taiitsu-kun had said, but Miaka had never been able to find out what that really meant. Perhaps it was physical strength, but more than likely, it was a strength of the heart, of the spirit. 

It was what kept her alive, even if it didn't always seem like she wanted to be.

When her world became black, and her opponents melted into the forms of those black-hooded agents of Kutou... then Miaka didn't recognize her reality at all.

Memories assailed her, and all that was left was her deep, buried desire to change what had been, to fix her mistakes, and to save so many innocent lives. As it was, she saw it all as being her fault.

Everyone... Chuei. Gyokuran. Shunkei... Tamahome's poor, very nearly helpless brothers and sisters. Even his father...! 

And...

Nuriko.

Today's opponent was a heavy-set, scruffy looking boy, and when Miaka blanked out, all she saw was Ashitare. At this school, "anything goes," and so Miaka held nothing back. No weapons were needed as she imagined her own speed combating Ashitare's brute strength. 

Only it wasn't Ashitare-- this wasn't some mystical half-wolf man she was fighting, wasn't some power-imbued Seishi. It was a normal human boy, no matter how she imagined it other wise, and even when he was on the ground, Miaka kept pounding on him, to the point when her sensei had to hold her back.

"Miaka, Miaka! Calm down, would you?" Miaka was shakig angrily, tears on the verge of falling, and she was fumbling to get out of her sensei's strong grip.

"Nuriko, Nuriko...!" Miaka was mumbling, until finally her sensei shook her-- hard, and led her from the dojo onto the veranda encircling the dojo.

"Miaka, snap out of it!" Miaka's eyes suddenly cleared, and she realized with a start that it had happened again. She'd blanked out, and this time, not come out of it before it'd been too late. Worse, she'd been caught, and she was sure to be punished. Sure, the school was "anything goes," but it was still considered a high school class, not to mention a discipline of the martial arts. She had lost control, and that was unacceptable.

"Miaka, you've been excelling wonderfully ever since you've been in this class, but Akane and I both have been noticing that you're losing control a lot. It's got to stop, because you're starting to injure other students... and yourself." 

Miaka swallowed, not making eye contact. 

"I-I'm sorry, sensei... it won't happen again."

"You say that, Miaka, but what's to guarantee it? I'd hate to pull you out of here..." Her sensei looked somewhat uncomfortable admitting this harsh truth, scratching his neck. 

Miaka looked up suddenly, her eyes bright and shining, tearing at the thought of being pulled from her favorite class.

"No! Please don't... this... this is all that I've got left!" Her sensei glanced back at her.

"Did someone..." He seemed to fumble with the right words a moment, then his gaze became deadly serious, his voice a whisper, "Did someone close to you die recently?"

Miaka fell silent. 

This was answer enough for her teacher, who nodded slowly.

"I don't know what to tell you, Miaka. It's part of life, but..." Miaka glanced upwards just as her sensei stared towards Akane. Miaka gazed curiously at the two as they exchanged brief, tender smiles, almost secretive from the rest of the class. Perhaps Miaka was the only one to see their gentle smiles, as she was the only one who understood what something so simple could really mean.

"But," he continued a moment later, meeting Miaka's hazel eyes, "Sometimes, you have to take things into your own hands. You can't let your life be ruled by destiny, or by someone else's hand. And maybe then, things will start to fall into place for you."

He walked off then, leaving a very perplexed Miaka behind-- but inside her, there was a resounding feeling that what he said was, without a doubt, true, and undeniable. Like he'd experienced it for every word, every syllable, and those words held a power as great as the incantations within the Book.

That was what held her back, held her to the ground, held her down. 

She had to let go, but how could she just... forget?

How?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Still there.

EVERYTHING.

Not just the book itslf, but everything. Every word-- every single syllable on the first page. The rest of the pages were magically sealed, awaiting a young woman to find it, open them, and become the next priestess.

Or...

But there was something strange and different this time. 

After all the tiring research he and Tetsuya had done, they'd discovered that once priestesses were called when countries were in danger. When they were about to fall. 

And that once one priestess was "absorbed" by the gods, the book wiped the slate clean, and awaited a new miko. Once a new Genbu priestess opened the book, then all the past mikos would vanish. But the book was so powerful, so dangerous, -and perhaps Takiko's father saw this- that these priestesses, these innocent girls were never meant to live in the same lifetime as one another. 

Yet they did.

Yui and Miaka. 

Something was wrong with all of this. There were time paradoxes, and seals. Wishes that were vague, sealings incomplete, and wishes that clashed and broke one another. 

And now... the seal of Suzaku was prominent on the first page. It was a simple watermark, but very recognizable to Keisuke. He'd held that book for so long, relied on it for everything. It had been his link to his sister, to her life, to her as a person.

He'd never taken so much interest in Miaka's life before the book, but now it joined them together, even if in different ways. 

He was always the outsider to the world of the Four Gods, while she had experienced it for everything it was worth. 

And now... she would have to undergo it... all over again.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When Keisuke slipped into Miaka's room that night, it was after 11pm. But she was still awake. He well knew, because he saw the dim light of her desk lamp on from underneath the door. He'd since wrapped the book in a heavy cloth, and escaped with it from the library in his satchel.

He'd been musing for hours what to tell Miaka. That this could be her chance, her motivation. He didn't know what would happen though, didn't know what to expect, only that he'd been drawn to the book the same way Miaka had, but only SHE could go into it this time. 

Miaka was poring over some math homework, looking obviously distraught as she tried working out logarithmic functions on her calculator. She angrily muttered at it, scribbled on her paper some, and then proceeded to growl at her unintelligible writing and crumple it up, tossing yet another failed-in-the-making assignment into her trash.

"Miaka."

"What do you want, Keisuke?" Miaka mumbled, sounding half-asleep and highly worn out. Ever since she'd gotten back from practice today, she'd been listless. She didn't understand what her sensei had meant, but something in her realized that he was right, and she couldn't just keep losing control.

But the thought of letting go of everything that grounded her - everything that separated her from every other schoolgirl except Yui, and everything that others would find as pure fiction- was too painful, too ludicrous to actually DWELL on. 

Preposterous, even.

Keisuke couldn't find the right words. He knew Miaka didn't need to be lectured again. Instead, he just unwrapped the book, and placed it on the table, right on top of Miaka's math homework.

Miaka opened her eyes, her blurry vision focusing slowly as the characters sharpened.

"What is this?" She mumbled, rubbing her fingers over the leather-cord bound cover.

"You know full well what it is." Keisuke responded. His voice was wavering, as he didn't know what to expect.

Miaka straightened and looked at the book once more, clearly this time, holding it in her hands.

"It... can't be..." And gently, she opened it, her eyes widening as she saw the exact same inscription that had been there the first time she'd read the book with Yui.

The words were on the tip of her tongue, and she needed no furigana to interpret the difficult, ancient kanji. These words she knew like a prayer in the back of her mind, in the recesses of her memory. 

Echoing constantly, like the faded pieces of a dream... or a nightmare.

"I don't know why I suddenly thought of it today. But I did, and I felt compelled to, at the least, go and see if it was even still there. And it was. And everything was the same." 

"...W-What does it mean, Keisuke?" Miaka murmured, her fingertips running against the edges of the pages. 

"I don't know. I do know that you can't seem to let go of that world though Miaka, and it doesn't seem to want to let go of you either. I think your wish... I think it gave you a second chance." 

Miaka inhaled sharply. 

A second chance? To right the wrongs, to fight harder, to fight stronger...? To save lives? She wouldn't be the ditzy, uncoordinated priestess as before. She wouldn't be blinded by anyone's ploys, or swayed by emotions as strongly as before. 

Being in the book meant she had a mission-- to save a people, to save a country. Even if it was ancient, was destined to change anyway... even if it meant she would someday have to return to her own world... it would be worth it.

Even if it meant giving up in the end, this time allowing herself to become one with Suzaku... it would be worth it... 

To see him again.

She squeezed her eyes shut, her face beginnig to burn and her eyes starting to water.

"I... I should tell Yui."

"Already called Tetsuya. He's on his way here with Yui. We'll go to the park."

Miaka glanced outside of the window, barely caring that the sky was a velvet black, studded with diamond-like stars and the cool glow of the Tokyo skyscrapers.

"Give me half an hour."

Keisuke nodded, leaving the room with a sigh. This was it. This was how it was meant to be... once and for all.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thirty minutes later, Miaka emerged from the Famille Kashiwa with a hefty backpack on. Instead of a school uniform on, or a bag crammed with study tools, she was well prepared.

Time spent at the Anything Goes School of Martial Arts had taught her to be prepared for anything, and this certainly counted as 'anything.' This was what Saotome-sensei must have meant, Miaka surmised, when he spoke of "taking matters into your own hands" and then letting things fall into place. 

This was the destiny that she'd shaped for herself. All that had been left to do was to realize it. To make it real.

Wordlessly, she climbed into the backseat of Tetsuya's red sportscar with her brother Keisuke. Yui, in shotgun, glanced back at her best friend as she clutched the book. 

Part of her wanted to ask if Miaka was ready for it... ready to go back and face ALL THAT again. She didn't have any idea what it would be like. Maybe nothing would have changed at all, and the world would be as Miaka left it... or maybe time would have caught up with the book world and their time, and everything would be 90 years older. 

They couldn't explain why the book still asked for the spirit of a priestess of Suzaku, but maybe that didn't matter. All that mattered was this moment, this decision, this change.

They arrived in the park not much later, and when the four of them were gathered outside in a circle, Yui finally spoke. 

"Miaka..." She didn't really know WHAT to say, so instead she handed the girl a charm bracelet. It was matching one that Yui wore on her own wrist, and the first charm was heart-shaped. On Yui's, the charm was inscribed 'Best,' while on Miaka's, it read 'Friends.' The other charms differed from there, but they were linked nonetheless. 

And now, Miaka would have to recite the words... and they'd close the book. She would be trapped inside, until she summoned Suzaku, or until, like last time, she found a way out. 

But this time... would she want to? Would she need to? 

Who was to say what THIS universe would be like? 

"This is the story of a girl..." Miaka began, her voice strange and echoing, "...who single-handedly gathered the Seven Stars of Suzaku and gained the power to make all of her dreams come true." 

Yui felt herself swallowing. She didn't want to see Miaka do this again, but she couldn't stop her. Miaka NEEDED this, and the book NEEDED Miaka.

"The story itself is an incantation and whomever reads it gains the priestess' power to have their wishes granted." Miaka ran her fingers along the pages, this time drawing blood from one of her fingertips. The blood seemingly melted into the watermark of Suzaku, turning it a brilliant, shimmering red, sparkling with power as Miaka recited the final line of the incantation: 

"As soon as the page is turned, the story will become real and begin." 

And then the page was turned, the park was filled with red light, and Miaka was gone.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

END OF PART 2

Whee, I finally caught up with the episode! Sort of! o_O This chapter was beginning to get really long anyway. But all the same, what did you think? In the next chapter, we finally get to start seeing some more familiar faces! ^_^ Not to mention... THE PLOT THICKENS! 

*giggles* Well, I'm in an FY mood lately, so expect to see more of this *cough cough* soon! 

Be sure to review/email me and tell me what you think!

azurite_moon@yahoo.com  


**COMPLETED:** 5/19/03  
**REFORMAT COMPLETED: ** 10/03/03


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